Spring Fling Tournament: Game 2

My next game would be against a Chaos Space Marine army using the Word Bearers Grand Host detachment from Traitor Legions.

Word Bearers Grand Host

Command

Sorcerer with jump pack

Sorcerer

The Lost and the Damned

Dark Apostle
10 Cultists
10 Cultists
10 Cultists
10 Cultists

Favored of Chaos

Daemon Prince of Tzeentch w/ wings
8 Possessed w/ Mark of Tzeentch
8 Possessed w/ Mark of Tzeentch
7 Possessed w/ Mark of Tzeentch



The mission was the Spoils of War with Dawn of War deployment, on a table with a trench line running through the middle. We both knew that was where most of the fighting would take place.



My opponent deployed using a refused flank to my left. To my mind, he wasn't aggressive enough with his Possessed. If you're going to use assault infantry, they need to deploy on the line.


I deployed centrally, with only my Thunderfire Cannon deployed on the far right where it was safe.

Turn 1

Chaos had the first turn, and they surged forward. The Sorcerer with the jump pack cast Cursed Earth, giving all of the Possessed a 3+ invulnerable and allowing the Deamonettes that he summoned subsequently to land without scatter, right in my face.

 
I responded by shifting my forces to the left to repel the enemy assault. The leftmost Tactical squad disembarked into the trench and shot the Daemonettes, killing 6. They would also act to lure in the Possessed and allow me to counter assault. My Land Speeder jetted forward to take an objective and earn a point. The lascannon Devastators bounced shots of the forward most Possessed, only killing 1, while the missile launcher Devastators took a wound off the flying Prince. Finally, the Thunderfire absolutely annihilated a Cultist squad, earning me First Blood.



Turn 2

The Chaos forces advanced again, but fortunately only one squad of Possessed and the remaining Daemonettes would be able to assault. Unfortunately for me, Cursed Earth still protected the daemons and a squad of Bloodletters appeared on my left flank.



My Tactical combat squad killed two of the assaulting Daemonettes but were cut apart by the charging Possessed. Unfortunately for my opponent, he only rolled 1 for his consolidation move, meaning his squad was still clustered together.

I brought my Command squad up to counter charge the Possessed, while disembarking one Tactical Combat squad to shoot them as well. On the right, my final Tactical squad and Land Speeder advanced on the Cultists, the Land Speeder killing 7 with its heavy flamer. The missile launcher Devastators pulled 2 more wounds off the Daemon Prince. Between the Tacticals, Command squad, lascannon Devastators, and Thunderfire, the Possessed that had just assaulted me, including their Sorcerer, were wiped out.


My major mistake was shooting the Possessed with the Command squad. They didn't do any damage, but they limited their charge to the Possessed, which the Thunderfire then wiped out. Had I just not shot, I would be in a fine position to assault the Bloodletters and wipe them out.

Turn 3

The main brunt of the Word Bearers assault would land this turn. However, they had some objectives they needed to grab first, and I had killed off too many Cultists to make it easy. The Sorcerer and Dark Apostle had to break off from units in order to hold objectives. While he was at it, the Sorcerer
summoned another unit of Daemonettes into my lines, though couldn't cast Cursed Earth.

The Bloodletters crashed into by Tactical Combat squad on the left, losing 3 to overwatch but predictably wiping out the Tactical squad. One squad of Possessed assaulted the Command squad, fighting them to a standstill, while the other squad wiped out a Tactical Combat squad.


I continued my advance on the right, my Tactical squad and Land Speeder wiping out the remaining two Cultist squads on that side. The lascannon Devastators killed the Dark Apostle while another Tactical squad gunned down the lone Sorcerer. The missile launcher Devastators finally killed the flying Daemon Prince, and the Thunderfire hammered the Possessed that had killed the Tactical Marines. The assault between the Possessed and the Command squad dragged on, and time was called. If I remember correctly (I forgot to write it down), I won 13 to 7.

Result: Executioners Victory

Lessons Learned:

1) I know everybody discounts Possessed, but these were pretty scary. The buffs from the Formation essentially give them all a pair of lightning claws, while the Mark of Tzeentch and Cursed Earth put a storm shield on top of that. With Fleet and Crusader, they crossed the table quite quickly. If all 3 squads had hit my lines at the same time, that would have been more than I could easily deal with.

2) Once again, I screwed up with the Command squad. An assault turn 2 would have significantly lessened the pressure on my line and given them a chance to consolidate back to they wouldn't be assaulted by Possessed turn 3.

3) Thunderfires are amazing against light infantry. You all know that already, but I felt the need to say it again.

4) The Land Speeder really came into it's own hunting Cultists. They couldn't hurt it but it could wipe out almost a whole squad with ease. I'll definitely be using this configuration again.